THESE CCTV pictures capture two men moments before they hi-jacked a Good Samaritan's car and sped to York.

The motorist, a 38-year-old man who has not been identified, had given the men and a woman a lift to an A1M service station less than half an hour out of the city.

But when he declined to take them any further the two men turned on him, punching him in the face and forcing him out of his £10,000 silver Honda. The woman ran off.

Police have revealed that the man miraculously escaped serious injury, despite being dragged along the road for several yards as he clung on to the outside of the vehicle.

They now hope these images will help them identify the culprits who dumped the undamaged car on a York street hours later.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said officers are not ruling out that the three may live in York, or have York connections, although they originally asked to be driven to Hull.

He said: "This was a particularly nasty incident. This man has been attacked and had his car stolen. It is remarkable that he was not more seriously injured.

"We would urge anyone who recognises any of these three, or who saw the incident taking place, to phone Crimestoppers as soon as possible on 0800 555 111."

The drama began when the trio approached the man in Doncaster and persuaded him to give them a lift in the early hours of Sunday, May 1.

He drove them on to the A1M and headed north, but stopped at the Wentbridge service station at about 4am.

The group left the car, but the two men returned and confronted the driver. The woman ran away across the forecourt while the two men get into the car, punched the man in the head and forced him out.

The first man is described as white, aged in his mid-20s, and 6ft tall. He wore a grey tracksuit top with a dark stripe around the shoulders and a dark T-shirt with white hoop or writing across the front.

The second man was also a white male, and of similar age. He was of medium build and shorter than his accomplice. He had short black straight hair and wore a light-coloured top and dark trousers.

The woman was in her early 20s and had mid-length straight blonde hair. She was 5ft 2in tall and of medium build. She wore a light-coloured cardigan and top, a short black skirt and boots.

Calls to Crimestoppers are confidential, free and may lead to a cash reward.

Updated: 10:28 Monday, May 23, 2005